UK's nuclear future at risk

06 March 2013

A parliamentary report says a lack of a clear pricing system is spooking investors, writes Helen Robertson

THE development of nuclear power in the UK faces an
uncertain future because the lack of a clear pricing system is
spooking investors, a UK parliamentary report claims. The
report by the UK's Energy and Climate Change Select Committee
(ECCSC), Building New Nuclear: The Challenges Ahead, says it is
extremely worrying that the UK government "does not appear to
have any contingency plans in place" if new nuclear capacity is
not built as planned. The UK government wants to bring 16
gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear power capacity online by
2025 to help reduce the country's carbon emissions and
offset its looming electricity supply crunch. Around 20% of the
UK's existing electricity generation capacity will be shut down
over the next 10 years as ageing coal and nuclear power plants
close. The UK also needs around €100 billion ($160
billion) of investment in new electricity generation and
transmission by 2020, double the rate...

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